UBER FINDS THEIR GENERAL — Uber has hired 2008 Obama campaign manager David Plouffe to lead their nationwide campaign against “big taxi.” From your host’s story: “Uber is giving him a lot of the same tools Plouffe has wielded before: The company’s core user base resembles the young, educated and diverse city-dwellers who powered Obama to victory. While Obama’s 2008 coolness factor inspired a wave of the politically apathetic to pour small donations into his campaign coffers, Uber has proved adept at persuading diehard fans to sign petitions and pester local officials. It also has a reported $17 billion valuation. Plouffe, one of the most sought-after men in Washington and often-rumored contender for White House chief of staff, joins a company with seemingly limitless ambitions — and can give it some crucially needed cachet before it goes public. It also appears likely that the longtime Obama hand will play a role in transforming Uber — which he called a ‘once-in-a-generation company’ — from a bar-hopping shuttle for tech-savvy millennials to an urban logistics powerhouse.” The full story has much more: http://politi.co/VEgMGP

— Uber’s enemies at the Taxi, Limousine and Paratransit Association weren’t impressed: “If Uber would simply obey the law, it wouldn’t have to concoct a make-believe conspiracy in which politicians somehow attempt to keep them out of their cities, and it wouldn’t have to hire an expensive political operative,” Alfred LaGasse, the trade group’s CEO, said in a statement. “By following the rules and meeting local public safety requirements like the rest of us, they wouldn’t need a ‘political campaign’ in the first place.”

— And neither was the RNC, which recently launched a pro-Uber petition. ““It’s ironic that Plouffe got the regulation king elected and now is trying to push for deregulation,” Republican National Committee spokesman Raffi Williams wrote in an email. “I guess Uber thinks that Plouffe might be able to talk some sense into the Democrats who are afraid of innovation and try to stamp out any innovative business with overregulation.”

LAC-MEGANTIC REPORT RELEASED — From Pro Transportation Editor Kathy Wolfe: “Canada’s transportation safety watchdog said Tuesday that myriad failures in equipment, training and oversight led to the crude oil train derailment that killed 47 people in a Quebec town last year — and that the disaster could repeat itself unless regulators and industry take action.

… The Canadian safety board said it found that 18 factors led to the crash, which occurred after the lone crew member aboard the nearly mile-long train left it parked on a seven-mile-long incline in the middle of the night, with the engine running and a woefully insufficient number of handbrakes applied. Along with the report, the Canadian board issued two new recommendations in addition to ones it has already put forward: Railroads should implement ‘additional physical defences to prevent runaway trains,’ such as improved braking systems or wheel chocks. And Transport Canada — that nation’s equivalent to the U.S. DOT — must conduct more thorough audits of railroads’ safety management systems.” Here’s the full report: http://bit.ly/1AwAFin And here’s Kathy’s full story: http://politico.pro/YvFpqR

— DOT later told Kathy the Federal Railroad Administration plans to propose a rule later this year to strengthen train securement regulations and address train crew size. DOT is “reviewing the Transportation Safety Board’s report and we continue to work closely with our Canadian counterparts on improving the safe transportation of crude oil by rail,” the department said in a statement.

— Canadian Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt responded to recommendations in a statement: “The TSB has concluded that the rules were not followed. The TSB report indicates that insufficient handbrakes were applied to the train and that the hand brakes were not tested appropriately. As you know, criminal charges have been laid by the Sûreté du Québec, and this is now before the courts. Immediately following this tragedy, our Government took decisive action and continues to act to ensure the safety and integrity of Canada’s rail system. We have accepted and are implementing every one of the Transportation Safety Board’s prior recommendations arising from the investigation at Lac-Mégantic, leading up to today’s report We thank the TSB for their work and share their objective for a safer rail system. To better protect our families and communities, I have directed the department to quickly develop concrete actions to address these recommendations.”

NO-FLY LIST RULES CHANGE — The Obama administration is changing how it handles requests to be removed from the federal no-fly list, the AP reports. But it’s not being clear on exactly what changes are being made. About 48,000 individuals are on the no-fly list. The changes were spurred by an Oregon federal judge’s ruling that listed individuals had no real way to challenge their status. http://bit.ly/1Aw6mIQ

AAA, AUTO DEALERS PRAISE NHTSA RECALL DATABASE — Both AAA and the National Automobile Dealers Association praised NHTSA’s launch of a database tracking recalled vehicles. “The huge volume of recalls from automobile makers just this year clearly points to the need for better consumer access to data related to the safety of their vehicle,” AAA President Bob Darbelnet said in a statement. “If accurately maintained by OEMs, the database will provide a single-source tool to help millions of motorists more easily find recall information. The information will also inform prospective automobile purchasers of unresolved recalls. This will go a long way in helping consumers ensure their vehicle is safe to drive.”

— NADA Chairman Forrest McConnell: “The new online look-up tool will help new-car dealerships identify whether a used car or light truck has an unremedied safety recall prior to making a purchase or taking in a trade. … To improve vehicle safety, NADA urges every car owner who receives a recall notice from a manufacturer to visit his or her local new-car dealership to have the vehicle inspected, and if necessary, fixed at no charge. Historically, less than 70 percent of all recalled vehicles get fixed. Our goal is to see 100 percent of those vehicles remedied.”

THE DAILY DRONE — Drones have been buzzing high-rises in downtown Vancouver, prompting spying concerns from residents and arrest threats from police. The Vancouver Sun: http://bit.ly/1yXx2zp

JENNINGS TO ETIHAD — Matthew Jennings has been named Etihad Airlines’ senior manager of public affairs. Jennings was previously the head of legislative affairs for the International Air Transport Association. Etihad launched direct flights from Abu Dhabi to Los Angeles in June, and will launch service to San Francisco and Dallas-Fort Worth starting later this year.

THE COUNTDOWN: DOT appropriations run out in 42 days and highway and transit policy expires in 285 days under the new extension. FAA policy is up in 407 days. The mid-term elections are in 76 days and the 2016 presidential election is in 811 days.

THE DAY AHEAD: Zip.

Help me help you: Have a transportation-related news conference, event, meeting, briefing or something else we should know about? Email transpocalendar@politicopro.com with all the details to get it on our Pro calendar.

Authors:

About The Author

Kevin Robillard is a Campaigns reporter for POLITICO Pro. He was previously a transportation reporter, a breaking news reporter and an editorial assistant for POLITICO.

Before coming to POLITICO, Robillard was a reporter at TBD, a local news website in Washington, D.C. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he was the editor of the student newspaper, The Diamondback. Robillard has also written for Congressional Quarterly, PolitiFact and Newsweek.

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Robillard remains loyal to the sports franchises of New England.